Chapter 10

“Why’s traffic all backed up?” Chloe frowned out the front window at the traffic as they neared the border.

Billy lifted the radio and made a call, asking for any truckers closer to the border for information. He scowled darkly when he was informed that the cops were searching vehicles at the border. He glanced at Chloe as he replaced the CB radio. “Well, there’s your answer.”

Chloe felt a good deal of panic at the news, she knew it wasn’t local police up ahead at the border, it was the FBI, and they were looking for Trevor. And more than likely, her as well, now too. Turning to the back, she woke Trevor. “Trevor! Get up!”

Trevor never seemed to wake quickly. Never all in one shot as she did. Every time she’d seen him rouse, it had taken him a couple of minutes to get his bearings. He would roll around, grumble, rub at his eyes like a small child, and eventually, muss his hair around. Normally, she had found it kind of adorable, right now; she needed him to get his a*s up. 

“Come on Trevor, wake up!”

With a grumble, he sat up, propped on his elbows, and blinked at her sleepily. “Yeah, what? Are we there already?”

“No, the cops are checking cars at the border!” She flung an arm out and pointed at the front window and the line of cars in front of them.

“Oh crap! Do you think we’re far enough back that they wouldn’t see us if we bailed?” He started to swing his legs down to the floor, stopped and gave Slate a disgusted look. The dog had moved to the floor at some point. He was sprawled out on his back, front legs folded against his chest, back ones sprawled out wide. “That is not what I wanted to see first thing. Puppy needs a fig leaf.” He kept his feet up on the bunk.

Billy gave a small chuckle before he shook his head at Trevor. “No way are you kids going anywhere. We are too close to the border; they’d spot you straight off.”

“We need to bail anyway or you’re in deep Billy, we don’t want you to get into trouble because of us,” Trevor told him.

“Don’t worry, this old dog knows a few tricks. ’Sides, I’ve already decided I like you two. You’re good people. Now, Trevor you just reach under that bunk there and there’s a hidden latch. The space under there is big enough for the three of you to hide in until we cross the border and get past that checkpoint. Cramped, but big enough. Done my fair share of smuggling in the past. Not drugs mind you, but a few things here and there. So that space has come in handy from time to time. Now get in there quick before we get any closer.”

Trevor tripped the latch, lifted the mattress, and waited while Chloe hopped inside; he climbed in after her, and held the mattress up while Slate jumped in on top of them. The lid closed and they were entombed in darkness.

“Ow! Slate get your elbow out of my ribs!” he told the dog as he shuffled around trying to find a more comfortable position.

“Trevor, watch where you’re putting your hands!” Chloe snapped.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Ewww! Slate, stop licking my face!” Chloe complained.

“All right, maybe we should all just be quiet until Billy lets us out,” Trevor whispered.

“Good idea,” Chloe whispered back.

 

Trevor’s right arm was going numb beneath Chloe, her head was pillowed on his shoulder, and her hair was tickling his nose. All in all, he might have considered it a romantic position all snuggled up as they were, if Slate weren’t also lying on top of them squashing them flat. More importantly, cutting off blood flow to his lower extremities. Like the family jewels. He might never have kids after this.

He heard Billy’s voice as he had a muffled conversation with someone. Probably one of the cops�"correction FBI agents�"at the road block. He wished he could hear what was being said. A chuckle from Billy. More muffled conversation and then the rumble of the truck’s engine and the truck moved forward, slowly, and then more quickly.

Before long, they were moving more steadily down the road and he had to wonder how far Billy was going to drive before he let them out. He was in the beginning stages of panic when the truck slowed, stopped, and Billy sprung them from the cramped little smuggler’s trap.

“Ta da! Made it! They didn’t suspect a thing.” Billy grinned down at them as they struggled out of the tiny space, stretching this way and that to loosen their cramped muscles.

“Thanks Billy, we owe you!” Chloe kissed him on the cheek, causing him to blush.

He waved away the thanks. “Come on, only ’bout another hour until we get there!”

Chloe and Trevor stayed in the back, Slate hopped up front, happy to ride shotgun for the last hour of their drive.

 

“Here we are!” Billy smiled as he pointed toward the sign as they passed it.

Trevor looked at it briefly as they drove slowly past it. Cute, he thought. They’d made it so it blended nicely with the woods in which the little resort was set. The sign had been carved from the trunk of a large fallen tree beside the road that led up to the resort. The letters carved into the tree painted a deep forest green read Maher Mountain Retreat. Beneath that were the words: cabins, hiking, and wilderness recreation.

“Wilderness recreation?” Trevor asked.

“ATV’s, they have a few trails for them. Horse’s as well. Ava also set up a site for children’s activities. Arts and crafts, theater, archery for the older kids. Things like that,” Billy answered.

Trevor’s brows arched. “Sounds like a big operation.”

“Labor of love.”

He pulled the truck up the paved road and circled the parking lot. Trevor noticed that his wasn’t the only semi in the parking lot. Interesting. Paths led off into the forest from the parking lot in all directions, with signs directing guests at the head of each path as to where they led. His gaze swung over to a building to their right with a big sign in front of it that read Office and Registration. Farther to the right of that was another building, set a little further into the trees with another sign that said Maher General Store.

They seemed to have everything covered. Forget anything and you didn’t have to go driving miles and miles to get it, they had it right here. He and Chloe followed Billy out of the truck.

Billy strode off toward the office, as he did a woman came charging out, a wide grin on her face. “Billy! Boy, where have you been?”

Trevor hid a smile when the woman called him boy. Billy had to be old enough to be maybe perhaps her older brother, at the very least. Ava had a bright, warm smile; her face was extremely expressive, her eyes a deep golden-green, her dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail high on her head. She hugged Billy’s large form, and his bigger body enveloped her tiny frame. The woman was probably about four foot ten, while Billy was six foot, and a big muscular man.

Ava drew back, her hands resting on Billy’s arms as she smiled up at him. “It’s so good to see you.”

Trevor saw the frown on Billy’s face as he stared down at the slightly sad, strained smile, on Ava’s face, and he looked away, back to where Chloe played pinecone fetch with Slate. He suddenly felt as if he was intruding here, yet to move away now would draw attention to him.

“Ava, what’s wrong?” Billy asked her.

“Nothing is wrong, Billy. Why would you ask that? Now come on inside and I’ll make you something to eat.” She tried to drag him toward the office.

Billy stood firm. “Ava, do not make me go find Brayden.”

Ava wrung her hands. “Kirk took another tour.”

Billy squeezed his eyes shut. “D****t, why didn’t you call me? Why didn’t Bray call me? When did he leave, did Snaf try and talk him out of it, did anyone?” he snapped out each question one after the other.

“Of course we did Dawg, do not interrogate my wife as if she’s stupid son.”

Billy turned and looked at the man who had stepped out in front of the general store and shouted at him so as to be heard. “I apologize, Bray.” He sent the other man a wave.

Brayden Maher nodded, smiled, and then turned and reentered the store without another word.

“Ava, when is he due back?”

“I don’t know. Soon.” She hesitated after making that statement.

“Ava,” Billy’s tone held a warning as if he knew she was holding something back.

“He’s been injured. Second time. Someone wants him out, Billy. Bray and I don’t believe these incidents were accidents.”

Billy only nodded; he started to turn away, noticed Trevor and gave a start. “Trevor.”

Trevor gave a guilty little wave.

Ava smiled at him. “Hello there.”

As if she sensed it was now safe to approach, Chloe suddenly appeared at his side, along with Slate. “Hi!”

Billy smiled at them. “Ava, this is Chloe and Trevor. And this great big baby is Slate. You wouldn’t have any job openings would you?”

“Well let’s head inside and we’ll talk about it. No sense standing out here, is there?” She turned and led them into the Registration building, sitting herself behind the big desk in the back office.

Trevor took a seat in one of the chairs before the desk. Chloe and Billy sat on the couch against the wall. While Slate plopped down on the floor, settled his head on his paws, and promptly went to sleep.

Ava grinned at him across the desk. “So, what skills do you have?”

“I’m good with just about anything electrical,” Trevor told her.

“Hmm, well we could use you for maintenance, I suppose. Not sure what else, but I’m sure Douglas could teach you a few things.” She was tapping her fingertips on the desk as she did some thinking.

Trevor opened his mouth to try and bring up the bit about paying him off the books when the back door to the office opened and a man came striding in.

“Mom, we need to discuss the reno on cabin twelve,” he said, noticed the people in the office, came to a halt. His eyes swept the room and his entire being froze when his gaze lit on Trevor. “I know you!”

Trevor felt his insides shrink at the declaration. He rose slowly, forcing himself to remain calm as he did. “Understood.” He looked at Ava Maher and smiled politely. “Thank very much ma’am, sorry to have troubled you. We’ll be leaving now.” He gestured to Chloe and headed for the door.

Trevor ignored the confused look that he saw Ava send Chloe as she rose from her spot on the couch. He couldn’t ignore her voice as she turned on the man who had spoken to him. “Douglas, what is the meaning of this, how do you know this man?”

“Here, I’ll show you.”

“Trevor, wait just a moment until we clear this up, please,” Ava called out.

He cringed but turned to her. “I’d rather not.”

“Why not young man?” She was frowning at him. The man, Douglas, still stood beside her, his fingers poised over the laptop computer on her desk.

He sighed heavily and shot the man standing beside her a glare before looking back at Ava. He figured he had better explain before Douglas pulled up the FBI wanted poster with his face on it. “Fine, you want answers I’ll give you answers. I don’t know who I am, not exactly. The only reason I know my name is because the FBI is looking for me, but I don’t know why they’re looking for me. I met Chloe when I stumbled out of the woods by her cabin, injured; she took me in and helped me.”

Ava shot a look at Billy, who shrugged, and gave her a simple answer. “I like them, good people Ava.” He smirked at Trevor. “So, not married then?”

Trevor shrugged at him. “No, sorry.”

Billy chuckled. “Well, only a matter of time then.”

Ava looked up at her son. “Douglas.”

He nodded and tapped at the computer keys. “This is how I know you. I don’t know anything about the FBI.” He spun the laptop to face Trevor.

Beside him, Chloe gasped. Something in his head sparked, but the picture on the screen was flat, unreal, to him. Despite the fact that the image staring back at him was his face. Slowly, he read every line on the screen. Ate up all the information. Every single bit of it was familiar, as it sank into his brain, every scrap of information, was real to him.

Yet, it still seemed far away. Nothing went click inside his head and caused some cataclysmic shift to occur. He didn’t suddenly remember his entire life. Nothing happened. It was disappointing as hell.

He looked up at Douglas. “How’d you find the website?”

The other man was rubbing at the back of his neck, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Uh, yeah, that. One of the guys in my unit stumbled across it by accident. He was cracking jokes, saying we should get you to enlist and that we needed you in our unit since when I was around everything went from sugar to s**t damn a*s fast. He said you could fix it all right and tight real quick.”

“Great, now I’m a military joke. Fabulous,” he said with a grimace.

Ava was frowning at the computer screen. She had turned it back to face her as soon as Trevor had finished reading it. She frowned as she read the screen. “I don’t understand this. How is this even possible?”

Trevor looked at Chloe as he began to understand a few things. He couldn’t show Ava a damn thing however without Chloe. “Chloe.”

She shook her head at him. “I don’t want to!”

“I can’t do my thing unless you do yours first.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. It was clear she was angry with him. He knew her past experiences with her power were negative. “Please Chloe.”

“Fine,” she grumbled. Walking over, she reached out and touched the laptop with a single finger. It shut down.

Ava tapped at the keys frantically. “What happened? Douglas, why isn’t it working?”

Douglas tried in vain to get the computer to work again. He finally gave up and looked at Chloe. “What did you do to it?”

“I touched it.” She shrugged.

He gave her a look that told her that that was obvious.

Trevor smiled and stepped forward, he did the same thing Chloe had done and touched it with one finger. It immediately powered up. Douglas jumped away from it.

“Chloe kills electronics. I resurrect them. Simple.” The corners of Trevor’s lips lifted into a small smile.

The look Douglas Maher sent him told him that the man didn’t believe it was that simple at all.